M'garh youth to be awarded for selection in NASA training

Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda on Friday said that the state government would felicitate Ashish Kumar with Pratibha Samman on his selection for the three-year astronaut training programme of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

Ashish is from Dhaulera village of Mahendergarh district. He, along with two others from India, is among the 10 candidates selected from the world over.

Hooda met him and his father Radhey Shyam in New Delhi on Friday and wished him best of luck. The chief minister said the state government would award Ashish and give `1.5 lakh on the pattern candidates from the state selected for civil services were felicitated.

Before his selection for the training programme, he had cleared the IISAT (Indian Institute of Space Aeronautics and Technology) competition organised by the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO).

He has cleared the IIT entrance examination and secured 112th rank. The training programme will be conducted in Washington, US, on the NASA premises, an official release said.